Pay the Price
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Harvey and Mike may have won Clifford Danner's case, but they haven't seen the last of Cameron Dennis. What lengths would Harvey Specter go to to protect the women in his life? R&R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, This has been bouncing around in my head in various forms since last week's episode., but I didn't want to start on it until the end of the season so I'd know what all the twists and turns would be. At the end of Rules of the Game I couldn't help but think 'we haven't seen the last of Cameron Dennis,' and it wasn't dealt with directly any more in this last episode. So here we go. I don't own Suits.

**Pay the Price**

_Takada Saiko_

**One.**

Harvey Specter had spent plenty of nights without sleep while at Harvard Law. Plenty of things had been more important back then, and it was all for the better as he spent even more all-nighters hunched over his desk as a rookie at the DA's office. He hadn't let up when he transferred into Pearson-Hardman. In fact, it had only been in the few years that he had toned down the work-related all-nighters.

It was early on Friday morning. The sun had been coming up as Harvey had ridden the private elevator up to his condo and fallen face-first into his pillows. He hadn't slept well in weeks, and he hadn't slept more than a handful of hours the past three nights put together. His face hurt where Clifford had taken out his anger on him – he had asked for it, after all – and his body hurt from the strain and the stress that this trial had put on him. He'd won. He always won, and it had been the victory that was long overdue for a certain young man that had spent a dozen years behind bars for someone else's crime. That didn't mean his work was done though.

Right now, though, he needed sleep.

Harvey groaned and turned over in his bed, trying to wiggle out of his suit jacket and kicking off his shoes. The clothing articles flew in separate directions and he frowned towards his phone that had decided to break the silence the moment is tired fingers began trying to unknot his tie so that it wouldn't hang him in his sleep. He knew the ringtone. It was Jessica's personal one, playing loudly and obnoxiously. He'd called her the night before when they'd got the evidence that would release Clifford Danner from prison and she'd told him to take the day off. He deserved it. So what the hell was she doing now?

It was rare that he ignored a phone call from his boss, especially if it was made from her own phone. Jessica didn't bother him outside of work without reason, but she had given him the day off and Harvey just couldn't find it in himself to do much more than glance in the obnoxiously singing devices' direction. Slowly the ringtone faded away and formed up part of his dream, dancing in and out of the colors, flowing through the nightmares that followed, and finally faded away when utter darkness was all that he was left with.

* * *

><p>Mike's first intention after he and Harvey parted ways was to go home in hopes of clearing things up with his childhood best friend. He'd started off that way, at first, but somehow had given Ray the address to a coffee shop down the street rather than his own apartment building. It was early, he was tired, and he needed a pick-me-up before dealing with the chaos that was sure to rain down on him in just a short while.<p>

The young associate sat down after ordering his coffee, the cooling air of early autumn allowing him to be somewhat comfortable as he shed his jacket and lounged back in the chair. The caffeine seemed to have little effect right away, so he settled in for a short wait with his own thoughts for company.

Harvey had seemed please, albeit exhausted, with the outcome of the trial. Mike had never seen him like this. Granted, he hadn't known the elder man all that long, relatively, but he knew that the lawyer rarely lost his cool. There had been no barriers, no facades once they had slipped into the back of Ray's car and he'd started off towards Harvey's condo first. Jessica had given the senior partner the day off, and he had in turn given Mike the same courtesy, and it seemed that the elder man had taken that to its furthest as soon as they were out of the world's view. He had chatted with Ray, of course, but no musical ritual had been passed between them as they drove.

Mike had watched Harvey slide out of the car with a small wave behind him, telling the younger man to stay out of trouble and to stay away from Trevor. He'd been useful this once, but he expected it was a fluke.

Now he sat alone, wondering if Harvey had known that Trevor was waiting at his apartment and that there was bound to be an interesting conversation in his future. Somewhere in his idealistic mind he'd formed up a scenario that included Trevor forgiving him for any wrongdoings he might have done. It was the only possible outcome after years of friendship and the perfect win that they had just succeeded with in the trial. After all, dating your best friend's ex-girlfriend could not nearly line up to the same best friend setting you up on a drug bust, right?

Finally Mike picked himself up out of the chair, the scraping of metal against concrete causing his ears to hurt. His walk to his apartment could only be described as a trudge in that general direction, legs seeming to be made of lead, even with the caffeine coursing through his veins.

He found his apartment empty. There was no sign of Trevor or even that he'd been there at all in the recent hours. His things were gone, but no note was left, and Mike massaged the bridge of his nose. It was Friday morning. Not Saturday, not even Sunday that looked onto that dreaded day of Monday. No, it was Friday and most of the city was at work. Just because he and Harvey had the day off didn't mean that whatever law firm Trevor had said he'd gotten a job at was giving _him_ the day off.

With that understanding Mike fell back onto his couch, sleep catching hold of him before he even fully made contact.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting in the sky by the time that Harvey woke to the sound of a fist pounding against his front door. He groaned and swore that if Mike had gone and gotten himself drunk again he was going to kill him and then fire him. In that order.<p>

Slowly the lawyer dragged himself from the bed, blinking dark eyes against the shadows of the room. He ached all over as if he'd been up for days. Wait, he had. He frowned again as he began limping stiffly towards the door, rubbing his eyes as he pulled it open.

Donna stood in the hallway, hair pulled halfway up and she looked as if she'd dressed to go out on the town. He thought he might have been dreaming with her pretty dark eyes looking out at him from behind fluttering eyelashes and a dress that left only the right things to the imagination. She flashed him a wide grin that faded when she took in his half-worn and all-rumpled suit that she knew was from the day before. "You're not ready," she pouted.

He blinked at her dumbly, feeling sluggish and at a loss. "What… time is it?" he asked at last, eyes finally coming to rest on the bag in her left hand that looked to hold a campaign bottle, corkscrew already twisted into it and ready to be popped open. He groaned. "Damn it."

"Yeah," she agreed, tilting her head to the side with an expression the screamed disappointment. "How could you forget the second half of the ritual? What good is an unopened bottle of campaign with a corkscrew if it remains unopened after the victory?"

"We were supposed to go out…"

"To the Harvard Club…. Wow. You really haven't slept much lately, have you?"

"Not lately, no." He paused, as if he expected her to say that it was okay if they put the end of the ritual off until the next evening. It wasn't something they had never done before, but she hated it every time that he asked. Mostly because he'd found himself a pretty thing that wanted to go for a ride in one of the flashy sport cars from Gotham Car Club. This time, though, it appeared that Donna was not going to budge. She stood expectantly in his hallway, waiting, until he pulled the door the rest of the way open and gave her room to enter. "It'll be a few minutes," he warned.

"I can wait."

Harvey smiled and shook his head, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she made herself at home looking through his record collection. "We could always just stay in here."

"Listen, Harvey, I know that you have as much alcohol stored in your cabinets as the Club does in its own, but tradition is tradition. You didn't get the car, did you?" She paused, watching towards the bathroom where her boss had disappeared to in order to get ready. "Harvey?"

"No. I've been sleeping."

"But it was the Maserati!" she groaned dramatically, rolling her eyes.

"Next time."

"That's what you said last time when you got the Tesla."

"It was the Tesla," Harvey countered, poking his head around the corner and shooting her a pointed look.

"It's a Maserati."

He grinned and chuckled, ducking back into the bathroom and Donna shook her head as the shower came on. She sank back onto his couch, glancing around the apartment. It hadn't changed much since he'd bought it nearly eight years before. He'd moved the furniture around a few times – mostly at her suggestion – and he'd finally decided to keep a few photographs around. Harvey had always had nice taste in artwork, but the person touch of photography had been something Donna thought he needed. No matter how many women came and went in his life, there were only two that could boast that they had framed pictures of themselves with the best closer in New York City and that those framed pictures were in his living room for anyone to see. The redhead had joked one time that the only reason that he didn't keep her photo in his bedroom was so that he didn't feel judged on his performance.

The water clicked off and steam poured out into the bedroom, just visible from where Donna sat. She rolled her eyes as her boss walked out in nothing but a towel, shooting her a glare that dared her to comment while in his home. She shrugged her shoulders and curled herself up, unable to keep the recent conversation that she had had with Rachel from her thoughts.

Harvey Specter was a good looking man. She'd known it for years, as had every other straight woman that laid eyes on him. He dressed well, he was intelligent, successful, handsome, athletic, and could be a gentleman when he so chose. She found few faults with him in the end, and as he pointedly ignored her and moved around his place in only the bath towel, it took all of Donna's theatre training to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks at the thoughts that crossed her mind. "Damn," she said instead, "you take longer than I do to get ready."

Harvey flashed her his trademark grin, nearly causing her to melt where she sat. There were times – at work, after hours, it really didn't matter – that his eyes caught hers just right and at just the wrong time and she knew if he chose that moment to ask then all of her resolve would wash away. Damn the consequences, she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

"Ready?"

When had he slipped back into his room? It was as if she'd fallen asleep, because she wasn't sure when he'd dressed, slicked back his hair, or anything, but no he stood in all of his usually glory and held a hand out to help her up.

"I thought you forgot the car."

"I did, but I texted Ray and he said he doesn't mind."

"He'd say that even if he did."

Harvey paused. "You think?"

"I know. It's Friday night."

"He said he wasn't busy."

"That man deserves a bonus."

The lawyer grinned and his secretary looped her arm through his ready one. They looked quite the eloquent pair as they left his condo with their prepared bottle of champagne and years of tradition at their heels.

* * *

><p>Mike's phone buzzing somewhere beneath him woke him. It was night and it looked as if the sun had just set. He groaned loudly as he reached back and found Jenny's picture scrawled across the screen. "Hey," he answered sleepily.<p>

"Mike? Where the hell have you been, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day," Jenny's frantic voice echoed in his ear.

"I've been at home. Sleeping. Harvey and I got the day off because we won that big case that we thought we were going to lose. Well, I thought we might. I don't think Harvey will ever say he's lost. Ever."

"Shut up," she hissed, catching him off guard. "Trevor came by my work today."

Mike sat up suddenly. "What?"

"Did you tell him about us?"

"Not yet. I've been trying to find him to talk to him. He disappeared."

"Well, he talked to your boss."

"To Harvey?"

"To a lady named Jessica Pearson."

The world slammed to a stop and Mike felt like he might be sick. How had Trevor gotten passed the security downstairs? He'd just waltzed up and spoken to Jessica? Why? "What did he say?" he finally managed, his voice sounding small in his own ears.

"He told her everything."

* * *

><p>The cork popped out and champagne spilled out over the edges, the bartender at the Harvard Club laughing and shaking his head at the two and an old, old tradition. Donna laughed openly as Harvey poured her a glass and they held them up.<p>

"To all the good times we've had," he toasted.

"And to all the good times yet to come," she answered and the glasses clinked together and they grinned.

"Good trial, Harvey?" the barkeep asked.

"The best yet," the lawyer answered.

"Do you think there are more like that?" Donna asked quietly, regaining her boss' full attention.

Harvey frowned, thinking. "I hope not, but that doesn't mean that there aren't. I'm still looking, but I couldn't spread myself over all of those cases at once. It doesn't do them any good that way."

"What about your current cases for the firm?"

"What about them?"

"You can't just go out on a vendetta against Cameron, no matter how much I hate the bastard. You have a job to do at Pearson-Hardman."

"I know," he sighed, sipping on his drink. "I just… wish I'd known then what I do now."

Donna reached a hand out and touched his. "Cameron Dennis is the one that destroyed those people's lives, not you. You're a good man, Harvey. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

Harvey felt his breath catch and he turned his hand over, lightly holding onto hers. They sat there for a moment, hands clutched, until his cell started buzzing in his pocket. He sighed and she shook her head and motioned for him to go ahead.

"Harvey Specter," he acknowledged without looking.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jessica's irate voice bore into his ear.

"You gave me the day off. I've been sleeping. Now I'm celebrating. You want to join?"

"No I don't want to join," she snapped.

"Listen, I don't know what you heard, but I won the case. I did what you told me to do. What's the mater?"

"What was the matter and what is the matter are separate. Someone ransacked my office."

Harvey sat up straight, eyes wide. "Who?"

"I don't know."

"How'd they get passed security?"

"I don't know."

"Any idea what they were after?"

"I have a theory. Are you with Donna?"

Dark eyes glanced over at the pretty redhead. "Yes."

"Bring her with you. I need to speak to you both in private."

Harvey hung up the phone and Donna's look was slightly stunned. "What's going on?"

"Someone ransacked Jessica's office. Come on." He pulled a couple bills out to pay and waved his apologies to the barkeep as the started for the door, calling Ray on the way.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

A/N: I'm absolutely addicted to reviews. Also, let me know if there are any typos. I'm in a hurry today and wanted to get it posted before I left my apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two.**

Jessica Pearson was not easily rattled. Her father, the man who had begun Pearson-Hardman, had always expected a boy to follow in his footsteps and become what he hoped would be the best lawyer in New York City. When he was well in his years and a baby girl was born he had not let that stop him. He'd taught her to be strong and never to let anything stand in her way. She'd learned well and rarely did people cross her.

Harvey's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his boss' office. Her white couch was tattered and the chairs that sat opposite were overturned, the bottoms ripped out as if someone though they would find something. File drawers were jimmied open, dented in multiple places papers lay strewn all over the office. Books had been thrown from their shelves and pages had been ripped from them in some frenzy that could only have been someone searching for something.

Jessica herself was sitting at her desk, hands folded on top of it and clasped together as if in silent prayer. Her eyes were distant and her lips were firmly pressed together. She startled slightly at Harvey's voice, as if she hadn't realized that they had entered.

"What were they after?"

A thoughtful look passed over the woman's face and her eyes shifted to Donna. "I have my thoughts," she said slowly, "but I don't have the proof yet."

"Everything starts with a theory," Harvey replied, looking for a place to sit. "Are you planning to call the police?"

"I should, but I worry that will spook our culprit into hiding."

"Then you know who did this."

"You think he would go this far?" Donna asked, her voice quiet but unexpected at Harvey's side. She looked straight at Jessica, as if the two women were having a silent conversation and leaving the middle man well out.

"Who would go this far?" Harvey pressed, uncomfortable with the sudden turn of events.

"I hand delivered the message to Cameron Dennis to change his deal," Jessica replied, reaching one hand up to massage the bridge of her nose.

"He knows you have the information."

"He knows I _had_ it. He shouldn't know where it is now unless he has eyes and ears in my firm, and if that's the case…." A dark looked passed over her face as if the thought had not occurred to her, but seemed very plausible now that it had. She waved it off then, unwilling to cross that bridge until necessary.

"You asked about Donna," Harvey murmured, everything falling into place in his still tired mind. "He doesn't know she's the one that had the information. He'll think I turned him in."

"Will he?"

"He knows you, Harvey," Donna reminded him. "For better or worse, when you're loyal to someone you stay loyal through thick and thin."

"Not through this. I… Jessica, you know-"

"I know where your loyalties lie, Harvey," she assured him and stood. "We have two options. I can go to the police, tell them all that we know, and hope that they take the initiative to go that rout."

"They'll treat it like a break in. Not what it really is."

"And yet that's what we're expected to do." Jessica shrugged, looking very tired.

"What's the second option?" Donna asked, glancing between the two lawyers. She should feel out of place, she knew, and probably should have excused herself as soon as the topic fell anywhere close to stepping out of bounds to catch the man that did this, but she felt beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jessica wished her to be present. She knew Harvey did.

"We fight back," the taller woman responded, standing straight and the fire coming back into her eyes. "We fight back with everything we have. We use our resources to build a case against him, turn him over, and watch him fall straight to hell." She looked pointedly at the others as if waiting for their response.

"You know how I feel," Donna murmured. A sly smile stretched across her face. "I… might have a few things that could help build something pretty solidly against him."

"You have more files?" Harvey demanded.

"What? I'm telling you _before_ I use them this time. You said not to go behind your back again, you didn't ask how much more I had on the sorry bastard."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "I don't think we have much of a choice, Jessica. Like you said, going to the police will spook him. Ray's still outside and can take you home, Donna."

"I'm not going anywhere," the redhead argued, straightening to her full height and putting on an expression that screamed of the lengths she would go to to help Harvey.

"Fine. Do what you need to, but don't leave anything that you're working on here. If tonight's proved anything it's that our offices aren't safe for this."

Harvey nodded and he was off to dive straight back into his files and pull a few favors from a hat. He and Donna left Jessica to her thoughts and straightening what was left of her once beautiful office.

* * *

><p>Mike had finally calmed Jenny down enough to get valuable information from her. From what she had told him, Trevor had appeared at the little deli just downstairs from where she worked. He'd been dressed in a suit that he had managed to keep and smelt heavily of weed. He'd been angry, hurt, and irritated, telling her that he knew all about their relationship and that he was sure that Mike had never truly been his friend. He'd told Jessica Pearson all about Mike's con, the drugs, and everything incriminating that he could think of at the time. The only thing that had caused him to leave was Jenny's ability to burst into tears at the drop of a dime and the fact that people had begun to stare at the scene she was making.<p>

Trevor hadn't said where he was going, but Mike had a good idea. He stuffed his hands deeply into his pockets as he rounded the corner, seeing a figure sitting on a bench, back to him, with something lit between his fingers. It was an old park that they'd played at as kids. It wasn't the same anymore, but that could have been more the wash over of idealistic youth that had made it grander than the place had every really been. Now it was a hang out for drug dealers and scum. A perfect place for Trevor Evans to go to think. Or not to think.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mike asked before he could stop himself, teeth grit tightly as his former best friend turned.

"What was_ I_ thinking?" Trevor echoed. "I wasn't the one that stole your girlfriend, man."

"I didn't steal her, Trevor. You decided to lie to her, she broke up with you, and we hooked up after you were gone."

"No wonder you were so keen on sending me cross-country. Was that the plan to begin with?"

"You know what, just shut up," Mike growled. "You don't know what you're talking about and you don't even know what you're doing. What the hell are you thinking? You're supposed to be clean." He took the lit joint from the other man's fingers and tossed it to the ground, stomping on it with his shoe.

"And you're supposed to be my friend."

"Really? Because I thought friends didn't screw other friends like you did to me, but that's not even what this is about, Trevor. I've saved your ass too many times for you to do what you did today. You could have taken it out on me, fine, I get that. I might even deserve that, but to go to Jessica?"

"You deserved it."

"Does Harvey?"

"I don't owe him shit."

"That's not what you said forty-eight hours ago!"

Mike squared his shoulders as Trevor continued to sit, mouth turned deeply into a frown and face ashen in the dark. "I didn't do anything to Harvey."

"Yeah, you did. Jessica will fire us both now."

"Isn't he some big-shot lawyer?"

"The best, but he'll still get fired over this."

"Then maybe he shouldn't have hired you."

"Maybe you shouldn't have screwed your life up! Have you ever stopped to think that it may be _your_ fault and not everyone else's? Maybe it's because _you_ decided to smoke weed and _you_ decided to start dealing it. _You_ decided to hide all that from Jenny and _you_ decided to let me take the fall for your stupidity! Did that ever cross your mind, Trevor, or is it always going to fall on everyone but yourself?"

They stared at each other, neither willing to speak anything further as the cool air kept them company.

* * *

><p>Three hours and many phone calls later Harvey felt Donna's hands on his shoulders. He'd slumped forward on his desk, forehead resting on his arm and feeling slightly ill over the whole ordeal. Her hands worked at the knots that had formed, easing some of it away as gently as she could and he moaned slightly. "That's going to feel so good when you stop," he groaned, her thumb hitting one particularly nasty knot and working it out against its will.<p>

She smiled at that. "You're welcome. Shouldn't you take this home? Maybe you'll work better there if you give yourself a break."

"Maybe."

Her hands stopped and she gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'll call Ray. You mind if he drops me off too?"

Harvey reached back and caught her wrist, holding it gently. "What if he goes after you next?" he asked sincerely, his eyes speaking volumes of his concern.

"He won't."

"You don't know that. You were the one that said he'll know I didn't turn him in. Who does that leave?"

"Jessica has a ton of people just like you do that she can call to do background searches and dig up dirt. Why should I be the one he looks to?"

The lawyer couldn't quite make his voice work and his secretary smiled down at him, reaching a hand out to his face. They had always been comfortable with each other, but it seemed right now that he needed the physical closeness that they rarely portrayed. "What do you want me to do, Harvey?"

"Come back with me to my place," he said before he thought it through. He saw the look on her face that spoke of her deep-seeded concern and he shook his head. "I'll be good."

"Harvey."

"I promise. I just want you to be safe and I can't focus on this if I'm thinking about all the ways that someone can break into your place."

"Why don't you just come to my place then?"

"He knows where you live. You've been there since before I hired you."

"And he doesn't know where you live," she acknowledged, seeing a point she would rather not. "What about Milo?"

Harvey had forgotten the friendly little black and white cat that loved to leave a trail of fur on anything that he wore. He frowned at the thought, but shrugged his shoulders. "We'll swing by and pick the cat up."

"You _are_ worried," she acknowledged.

"I am."

"I won't tell."

"You better not."

Ten minutes later they were on their way down the elevator and Ray was waiting outside. He gave a wave, looking a bit worried himself. Harvey clasped him on the shoulder, saying that they had everything under control and that he promise that the driver could go home and get some well-deserved sleep after this.

It was approaching midnight and Ray was taking the back roads to Donna's apartment. It was because of that that there weren't nearly as many cars on the street. No one saw the SUV T-bone black Lincoln Town Car and send it turning not once, not twice, but three times until it came to land on the passenger side.

Harvey caught the flash of light that hit the front bumper just before the larger vehicle collided with them and he'd started to shout. The words didn't have time to leave his mouth as the entire car jolted, rolled, and rolled again. He heard Donna scream once and then everything was washed out by the sound of bending and crushing metal all around them. Something struck him hard across his head and he felt the seatbelt dig into his shoulder, as if it were burning through his suit jacket and into his skin. He thought he might have heard the airbags deploy, but if Ray made a sound he didn't hear it.

It took a moment for him to realize that the car had stopped rolling and that it was laid up on its side. His world was still spinning and he struggled to move. "Donna?" he tried to call out, but found it difficult to breathe. His eyes were lulling closed when he heard the door open and he tried to look up. He could see Donna hanging limply in her seatbelt, and it looked like a man reached down to pull her out. That was fast, he thought. He'd never seen an ambulance get to the scene of a wreck that fast.

Blood trickled down into his eyes and he blinked against it, his mind too muddled to realize that the back passenger door had been closed again and no one was coming back.

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews are my addiction. Please, feed the author's addiction.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I just want to take a moment before we begin here to say that my prayers go out to the families of those that were killed on 9/11 10 years ago. God bless America and God bless those that still struggle with the huge void that that attack left on our country. Thanks.

* * *

><p><strong>Three.<strong>

Mike had finally sat to the ground, feeling as if the weight of the world were crushing him as he waited for Trevor to offer up some sort of apology. Or to move over so that he could sit on the bench as well, but that looked even less likely than the apology. He might have waited all night, convinced that it would come eventually, if his phone hadn't rung. Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band sang out from his cell, signaling Harvey's incoming call. "It's him," he said as Trevor glanced at him, his looked questioning. "It's Harvey calling to tell me that we're both fired."

"Just answer it."

Mike bit back his retort and clicked the accept button. "Listen, Harvey, I-"

"Mike?"

The voice on the other end was most certainly not Harvey's and Mike had to think a minute to find the face to go with the voice in his mind. "Ray?"

"Yes," the driver answered, sounding rattled and out of breath. Mike could hear movement in the background and what sounded like several people talking near the phone. "I'm sorry to call you from Harvey's phone, but there's been an accident."

"What?" the young associate managed, gripping the phone tightly in his hands. He ignored the questioning look from his former best friend as he numbly rolled to stand. "Where?"

"We're going to New York Presbyterian."

"I'm on my way," Mike answered, but it sounded as if someone had already taken the phone from the driver's hand. "I've got to go."

"You get fired?" Trevor huffed, not sounding like he really cared one way or the other.

"No. Maybe. I don't know. I don't care. Harvey's in trouble." He didn't explain anything further. He didn't even grab his bike that he'd simply laid over on its side upon arrival, but ran to the two blocks to the nearest place where he'd have any chance of hailing a cab.

* * *

><p>The report had come in late, and if Jessica hadn't still been in the office – and if she hadn't had connections in all the right places – it might have been days before she saw it. While Harvey paid the majority of Ray's salary out of his own money to keep him on personal retainer, the firm still technically owned Ray's car and was his employer. Jessica knew that her favorite partner had taken his usual ride home and that they'd left not long before. It only took a few calls to find out which hospital they'd been taken to.<p>

So there she stood, powerful, beautiful Jessica Pearson who was the managing partner in one of the largest law firms in New York City. She'd pulled her hair back into a thick ponytail to clean her office and her hands were scratched from all the damage she'd been in the process of rectifying. Her red-soled heels tapped impatiently against the tile of the waiting room outside of the ER, no one giving her any real notice of what was happening behind those doors.

It was quiet, surprisingly so for that time of night in that city. That was the only reason that she perked up as doors swished open. She hadn't expected to see Harvey's young associate – the one that seemed to be more trouble than he was worth, in her opinion – come running in, looking frazzled and worried. The nurse at the station gave him a withering look as he approached, asking for any information that she could give him on Harvey Specter.

"Mike," Jessica called and he whirled to see her. She did her best to give him a reassuring smile and the nurse looked appreciative. "Come sit with me. They don't have anything to tell us yet."

He nodded dumbly and followed without a word, looking somewhat like a puppy who'd lost his master. Jessica sat gracefully down into one of the waiting room chairs, looking as if she expected him to follow. He did, sitting down heavily and slumping immediately. He didn't know what to say. They were both there for Harvey, yet he knew that she knew his secret that they had both kept. "What happened?" he asked after several long moments.

"They were T-boned, according to the report. It was a hit and run."

"Are they okay? What was Harvey even doing at the office? He said we had the day off."

"Harvey was in the middle of something," Jessica answered, glancing side-long at the door. "How did you hear?"

"Ray called. On Harvey's cell."

The managing partner swallowed hard, as if she weren't willing to ask the next question that must be asked. "Did he say anything about Donna?"

"Why would he? Was she with them?"

"Yes."

"Isn't she here then?"

"No. She wasn't in the car, but they wouldn't have made it to her place yet." Jessica leaned forward, hands going to her face as everything seemed to wash over her. She knew who was responsible, and it was exactly what she had feared. The former DA had gone after Harvey and Donna with full vengeance after his search of her office had come up empty.

Mike fidgeted for a moment. "Listen, I know that you talked to Trevor today and I-"

"Just stop right there. We'll deal with that whole fiasco after this one's dealt with. Right now, Harvey's going to need you to do what you do best." She gave him a pointed look. "Be loyal to him and him alone."

"Ms. Pearson?" the nurse called. "May I have a word?"

Jessica stood and crossed the space immediately, thankfully that Mike didn't follow her on impulse.

"Mr. Specter's charts have you listed as the next of kin," the nurse said, looking up expectedly at Jessica.

"He doesn't have any family left," the lawyer said simply. "If he has me listed, I'll take any responsibility for anything needed."

"I just wanted to tell you it'd be a while. They're working on him in the back."

"Any news on Mr. Bengazi?"

"He should be released soon," the nurse answered, flipping through the paperwork.

"Thank you."

As if on cue the doors opened and Ray walked out of the ER. The nurse smiled over at him and he gave a wave of gratitude before seeing Jessica and Mike. The associate had stood, moving towards the driver and looking both relieved and worried at the same time.

"Ray, isn't it?" Jessica asked, feeling somewhat sheepish that she wasn't entirely sure of the man's given name.

"Yes ma'am."

She smiled. "It's Jessica tonight. It's late and we're all worried. How are you? How's Harvey?"

"The doctor said the airbag saved my life," Ray answered, motioning to the tape across his nose and the bruises that had already begun to form across his face. Other than that and a bit of a limp, he looked as if he'd escaped the brunt of the hit. They moved, slowly, to take a seat in the chairs for Ray to tell his story. "We were T-boned by an SUV. No one got the plates, but I think I saw a grill on the front of it. They hit us in the back passenger door…"

"Harvey's side," Mike managed, face losing all color in it.

"We rolled. I don't know how many times, but we landed up on our side." Ray stopped, turning his attention to Jessica. "I know this isn't my business, but I know Harvey's been under pressure with everything that's happened since the DA incident. He may be my employer, but Harvey is also my friend."

"We'll get the man that did this," Jessica vowed lowly. "What about Donna?"

"I don't know. She wasn't there when I woke up. I lost consciousness after the airbags went off and didn't wake up until they pulled me out. That's when I called you," he said to Mike.

"How was Harvey when they pulled him out?"

Ray looked slightly sick. "Unconscious. Bleeding. It could have been better than he looked, though."

"Thank you, Ray," Jessica said and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "All we can do now is wait."

* * *

><p>The wait was a long one, but everything seems longer in the wee hours of the morning. The police came and went at some point, getting information about the car, taking Ray's statement, and insisting that as soon as Harvey was able to give his that they should be contacted. The crime had moved beyond a hit-and-run to include kidnapping, and they would keep them abreast of any news of Donna if they promised to do the same.<p>

By the time the doctor came back out from the ER Mike was dozing, half slumped in his chair and Jessica had lost her shoes in favor of a little bit of comfort. She stood without bothering with them.

"Ms. Pearson?"

"Yes."

The doctor reached out a hand to shake hers. "I'm Dr. Trent Taylor. I expect your waiting on news about Harvey?"

"Is he okay?" Mike asked drowsily from his place.

"He's going to pull through just fine," the doctor assured them. "It looks like a concussion, some lacerations, and fractured and one broken rib. He got lucky, as did you, Mr. Bengazi."

"Can we see him?" Ray asked.

"He's resting. He came around in the ambulance and we had to give him something to settle him down."

"Harvey doesn't like hospitals," Jessica said matter-of-factly.

"We found that out," the doctor smiled. "So one at a time, please, and try not to get him riled."

Jessica didn't leave room for someone to grab the first run as she quickly tucked her shoes back on her feet followed the doctor back through the doors, leaving Ray and Mike to themselves in the waiting room. Her heels tapped in rhythm as she followed, dark eyes watching the people with various degrees of ailment all around. She was reminded to keep him calm before the doctor motioned to the small room and Jessica took a deep breath before entering.

She had known Harvey Specter for many years. She'd first met him at his lowest, when no one else thought he would make anything of himself. He was young, having always been the youngest of his classes, and was attending university on a full-ride baseball scholarship. He was finishing his undergraduate work – less than four years after starting - and was being considered for a spot in the pros as a closing pitcher when he blew out his shoulder and was unable to pitch in the championship. Everything that he had ever worked for was blown out of the water in one fateful pitch that had cost him his pitching shoulder. His outstanding grades had been the only thing that had him graduating when he'd first planned to. That was when he'd gotten a job in the Pearson Hardman mailroom. It wasn't that he was partial to law firms, but his degree in athletics was useless to a man that didn't want anything to do with what he saw as his own personal failure.

He'd been a terrible worker, at first, and that was actually what caught Jessica's attention. She had just taken the managing partnership after her father's death and wasn't willing to deal with a washed-out athlete bringing his pity party to her work place. She'd been marching down to the mailroom to fire his ass and haul him out herself if need be when she'd heard it. It was that strong, charismatic and forceful voice that she'd come to respect in later years and that Harvey had tuned to his every advantage. She didn't even remember what they were arguing about, but the young associate had chosen the wrong mail clerk to pick a fight with. Jessica saw more life in him that day than she'd seen in her entire run of associates that year and she'd decided right there what had to be done. He might not be the best closer in baseball, but she sure as hell could make him the best closing lawyer in the city limits. It was that day that she'd started planting a new dream that hadn't taken but a few months to take hold in his very being.

For all the life that Harvey had had in him from that day forward, no one could tell by looking at him now. He was pale under the bruises that lined his face and followed down his arms that were over the sheets on the bed. His boss was sure that the bruises covered more than she could see and it made her wince to think about it. He was hooked up to an IV and a few monitors that all seemed to be beeping in happy tones that he was in no immediate danger. Slowly, two chocolate colored eyes cracked open and Jessica moved closer.

"Hey," he rasped, sounding as bad as he looked.

"Hey," she answered, reaching down to give his fingers a gentle squeeze. "How ya feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Look like it too."

"Thanks. You're all heart." He winced and shifted, looking as if he wanted to sit up, but then thought better of it. He stopped, then, eyes coming into focus a bit more. "We were hit."

"Yes."

"Ray and Donna?"

Their eyes met and Jessica couldn't find it in her to tell him the whole truth, nor could she lie to him outright. "Ray's waiting for you out in the waiting room, along with that puppy of yours."

Harvey cracked a smile at that. "Stupid puppy," he grumbled. "What about Donna?" He looked at her again, expression turning deadly serious. "Jessica, where's Donna?"

"Harvey, you have to stay calm."

"Where the hell is she?"

"Easy, Harvey," she urged, hearing the monitors speed up. "She's alive."

"_Where_?" he hissed.

Jessica closed her eyes momentarily, feeling his hand grasp at hers in frustration. "She wasn't in the car when the medics arrived."

"But they got her. I saw them pull her out."

"Harvey, you have a concussion."

"I saw it!"

"It wasn't the medics!" Jessica snapped. "She's gone. The police are looking and we will put everything – do you hear me? _Everything_ – that we have into finding her, but right now there's not a damn thing either one of us can do other than you giving the police everything that you have."

"Cameron did it."

"We don't have the proof yet."

"By the time we get it she'll be dead."

"Do you really believe that? Do you think he'll go to that level?"

"I didn't think he'd go to this level and look where it got us." Harvey released her hand and shifted, sitting up and struggling against the pain. "Are those my clothes over there? Hand me my pants, will you?"

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm leaving."

"They haven't released you."

"Then I'll check myself out."

"Harvey!"

"I'm not going to leave her to rot," he snapped, emotions raging more than Jessica remembered seeing in quite some time. "I'm going to find her and I'm going to bring her home in one piece, and then I'm going to make sure that Cameron Dennis never sees the light of day as a free man again."

"Harvey…" She stopped, their eyes locked together in a silent battle of wills. Her lips pulled downward in a deep frown as she reached over and threw his pants at him.

"You're not going to tell me to stop?" he asked, somewhat taken back.

"Won't do a damn bit of good," she acknowledged. "The one thing I'll tell you is this though: after this is all over, you sure as hell better settle things with her, do you hear me?"

"Settle things?" Harvey echoed.

"You better tell her exactly how you feel or I will." With that, Jessica turned on her heel and marched out to let him get dressed.

* * *

><p>"How is he?" Mike demanded as Jessica stormed into the waiting room.<p>

"Ornery."

Blue eyes blinked in confusion, but then he turned to see the doors fly open and a nurse trailing a badly beaten Harvey Specter out of the ER area. She was fussing the whole way that he needed to stay at least one night to make sure that there wasn't any further damage that had not been caught. He could further injure himself if he refused to rest properly and –

"I know," the lawyer answered easily, turning and not bothering to use his charm. "I signed your damn papers, now leave me the hell alone."

The petite nurse stood in shock as Harvey continued moving.

"Harvey, are you okay?" Mike asked, not entirely sure what to say.

"No, but that doesn't matter. Jessica, tell whatever cop that wants my statement that I'll give it to him in the morning at the office. Mike, I need that eye for detail of yours to go through Donna's files and find anything else that she might have taken from the DA's office that we can use against Cameron."

"You want me to snoop through Donna's files?"

"Just do it. Blame me for it when she yells."

"Where are you going, Harvey?" Jessica asked as he strode passed them and out towards the parking lot.

He turned around, shoulders squared and lips pressed together. "I'm going to go pay Cameron Dennis a visit."

* * *

><p>AN: Insert dramatic music... here. And insert reviews in the appropriate box, please. Thanks much. =)


	4. Chapter 4

**Four.**

Donna woke to the worse headache that she could remember, and she'd managed to have plenty of them in the past. Her first thought was that she'd had a damn good night, but when she moved and found that she was tied to a chair she decided it must have not been such a good night after all. She closed her eyes, trying to force her aching mind to put the shattered pieces together. She and Harvey had gone out to celebrate his victory, they'd received a call that Jessica's office had been ransacked and he thought it was Cameron Dennis. They'd spent the next stretch of time at the office hadn't they? Then… Then they'd called Ray and were on their way to pick up her cat and go back to his place. All at once images started flashing back. The lights. The sound. Harvey's strained voice and the cry that left his lips, choking against the pain of an SUV barreling into his side of the car. She screamed as they tumbled, she thought, but she couldn't make herself remember anything passed that.

"Good mornin', gorgeous."

She looked up, her red hair stringy and matted to her face. The man that had spoke was burley and rough looking, as if he'd forgotten quite how to shave the last couple of mornings. Or dress, for that matter. Or bathe. Donna was sure he'd forgotten a good majority of the things that civilized men did.

"Hiya," she managed, trying to keep her usual composure. She refused to let these people get the upper hand on her. There was a reason that Harvey Specter had the best secretary in all of New York City, and it wasn't her filing skills – which for fantastic, if she did say so herself – but for her ability to think on her feet and three steps ahead of the game. She had to find out what they wanted, who they worked for, and how the hell to get out. Damn, she wished she watched more cop shows now or had accepted that offer from the blue-eyed beauty that had tried to sweet talk her last month by saying he could teach her how to pick a lock. How did he know that was a turn on?

She shifted, feeling the cuffs dig slightly into her wrists. "Hey, mind giving a girl a break? I work with my hands, you know."

"Just sit back and relax, beautiful," the man said, reaching a rough hand to her face. He retracted it just as quick when her teeth nearly latched on.

"Do _not_ touch me." The games were over as quickly as they began and the reality came crashing down that Donna was in real trouble. This was nothing like the movies. They were supposed to banter back and forth, she was supposed to stump him with her wit, and then the dashing hero – why was Harvey flashing through her mind when that part came up? – was supposed to fly in and rescue her, sweeping her off her feet and taking her away to safety. Instead she just had tuna-breath in her face.

"Don't get smart," he warned. "I ain't been told not to hurt ya."

"Then what have you been told?"

He grinned at her lopsidedly, showing off his crooked, yellowed teeth. "To make sure ya don't leave."

Donna sighed, noting the smug look on his face. A thought struck her and she kept herself from grinning openly as tear welled up in her eyes. She watched the big oaf begin to crack and she began to wail.

* * *

><p>The sun was creeping up over the horizon as the cab pulled to a stop in front of the Dennis household. Harvey paid the man more than was asked and told him to wait around the corner. He shouldn't be too long and he'd need a ride back into the city.<p>

He stormed up the walkway, feeling the ache of a tattered body. His ribs felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them, when in reality it'd been a large vehicle instead. He'd only halfway listened to the doctor's report on his injuries, because he knew that even if it killed him he would have gotten up out of that hospital bed and left in the exact same manner as he did. The cops could only go so far and they would take their precious time following the evidence here. Precious time that Donna might not have.

"Harvey?"

He turned, seeing the longhaired beauty that was Cameron's third wife standing next to the flowerbed. She stood from her crouched position with the trimmers in hand, a smile gracing her face. She had been dating Cameron when Harvey was hired on at the DA's office and had married him a year into their work together. It was, as of yet, Cameron's longest running relationship and Harvey was sure it wasn't because his former mentor had earned her love.

"What are you doing here so early? Is Cameron expecting you?" She moved closer to give him a hug and took in the bruises that lined his face. "What happened?"

"I was in a car accident," the lawyer responded truthfully.

"Are you okay?" she gasped, fingers ghosting over the deep bruises.

"Enough. I need to talk to your husband. Is he around?"

"He should be up by now." She smiled fondly. "He's enjoyed his time off, he just won't admit it. He's able to sleep in. We're even planning a trip to Europe next month. It's the honeymoon we always talked about and just never had the time to have, you know? I don't know what spurred it on, but I'm glad he decided to let someone else give away their life for the system for a while."

"Yeah, he's a real saint," Harvey grumbled. "I'll just let myself in then."

"Right. Front door's open. He's probably in the kitchen."

Harvey nodded, ignoring the funny look she'd given him as she spoke and he turned on heel to move towards the door. He took as deep of a breath as he dared, pushing it open and walked inside. "Cameron?" The name bounced off of the marble floors and at first there was no response. Finally, sounds could be heard down the hall.

"Harvey. To what do I owe the pleasure? You look like hell."

Cameron approached Harvey, hand outstretched as if to shake it. The younger lawyer reached out, but not to grasp his hand in a friendly manner, but landed his former mentor against the wall and held him there, eyes burning with anger. "Where is she, Cameron?" he hissed.

"What the…? Where's who?" the former DA demanded, appearing shocked by the younger man's abrupt outburst.

"Donna."

"That girl of yours?"

Harvey increased the pressure against the elder man and pushed him hard against the wall. "Don't screw with me. I know you orchestrated it. You've always had the connections, I just didn't think that you were dirty enough to use them."

"What are you talking about, Harvey? Let go, we'll talk about this."

"We're done talking. All I want is for you to tell me where she is and this is over."

"Is she missing? You'll have to give me a bit more to go on or I can't help you."

"You boys doing okay?" Cameron's wife called from outside. "You need anything?"

"We're fine, dear," the former DA called back. "Just catching up." He waited until he heard the door close behind her before he put an elbow squarely in Harvey's battered ribs, causing the younger man to gasp and fall back. Cameron caught him before he tumbled to the floor and slammed him around. "Two can play, Harvey," he warned, voice icy and malicious. "You shouldn't have crossed me. If you'd just stayed out of it, none of this would have happened."

"You dragged me into it," Harvey gasped through clenched teeth.

"Don't play the high and holy, Harvey," Cameron warned. "Just stay out of it and you may get out of all this alive." He slammed him back again, fists gripping his shirt and pressed against his ribs.

As soon as he was released, Harvey crumpled to the ground, coughing and sputtering against the pain. He could see Cameron's house shoes blurring in and out as he struggled to remain conscious against it. "Sorry bastard," he choked and heard the elder man chuckle.

The door opened and the entire feel of the room turned to worry. Cameron was suddenly the doting mentor once more, bending down as he heard his wife enter and holding onto one of Harvey's shoulders, the other unable to pull away. "Maddie, call a doctor," he called over his shoulder.

"Let go," Harvey managed, pulling away. He struggled to his feet before Maddie Dennis was able to finish dialing and she stopped, eyes wide at the strange scene. "I'm fine," he promised the woman and turned back to Cameron. "I swear to you I'll find Donna, and then I'm going to find the piece of evidence that connects you to her kidnapping."

"No such thing, Harvey."

"Bull shit. Just like you didn't bury evidence."

The room was silent and Maddie stared in horror as Harvey limped by, one arm latched protectively around his midsection and the other reaching out to steady himself as he passed by anything solid. He left them, trudging his way to the waiting cab, and pulled out his cell. Mike sure as hell better had found something.

* * *

><p>Mike felt like his eyes were about ready to cross. While Donna's filing system was the height of perfection she was also queen of hiding what she needed to in that filing system. It was requiring him to sort through every file she had at her desk in hopes of finding something that might help Harvey.<p>

He grabbed for the last stack in the drawer and dropped it to the floor, the pages scattering out and he let a low curse out as he tried to shuffle them back together.

"If Donna finds you in her drawers you won't have to worry about Harvey firing you. You'll run screaming."

He glanced up, eyes coming to rest on Rachel as she stood, hand on one hip, and stared at him.

"What are you doing here on a Saturday?" he managed, trying to look as inconspicuous as he could while rifling through someone else's drawers.

"I could ask the same thing of you, but you're a first year associate, so I know."

"Doubt you do," he grumbled, eyes catching something interesting on the file he'd dropped.

"Where is Donna?" Rachel asked.

Mike looked up, feeling tired and unfocused. "She and Harvey were in a car wreck."

"What? Is she okay? Is Harvey okay?"

"No and no. Harvey's out looking for anything to connect Cameron Dennis to it because he thinks that Dennis is holding her somewhere."

"Donna's been kidnapped? What are the police doing about it?"

"Probably not as much as Harvey."

"He's gone rogue?"

"Is standing around explaining all of this helping you to find her?" Jessica snapped, causing the two younger people to turn around and look sheepish.

"No," Mike answered honestly and held up the document. "But I think I found something."

Jessica took it from him and scanned over it, eyes widening. "I think you did. So this is why he keeps you around."

Mike swallowed hard, not knowing how to respond.

"Good job, kid. When we find her, we might have enough to connect him with this."

"Will anything in that help us find her?"

"It'll give the police a place to start looking. By the way, I need you to take care of the couple in my office until Harvey gets in."

"Why? Who are they?"

"Donna's parents. They just flew in from California. Rachel, with me." Donna's father was an imposing man. He stood a good several inches taller than Mike's own six feet and wore a frown that could put the happiest person on earth into fits of anxious tears. He shifted, glaring, as Mike walked in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Woods," the young associate greeted. "I'm Mike Ross. I'm Harvey Specter's associate-"

"I know who you are, and it's _Doctor_ and Mrs. Woods."

"Excuse me."

Dr. Woods shifted. "Where the hell is that boss of my daughter's? This is his fault, why isn't he here like a man to stand up and find Donna?"

"He's finding the evidence to put the man away that did this," Mike assured him, feeling a sense of dread at the first part of this meeting.

"If he hadn't gotten Donna involved in all of this it wouldn't be an issue in the first place," the doctor snapped, standing from the couch. His wife made no move to join him, but didn't look any happier than her husband. She glared eerily from her place, seated very primly, and kept her hands folded tightly together in her lap.

Mike opened and closed his mouth several times before a knock on the glass door interrupted the train of thought. Rachel motioned from the other side and he excused himself and hurried to it. "Save me," he whispered.

"Jessica needs you down at Harvey's office. I'll take care of this."

"Is Harvey back?"

"Yeah. Poor guy looks like he needs a hospital."

"Don't let him near _Doctor_ Woods, I think the man might take his head off."

Rachel shrugged and sent Mike on his way. He reached Harvey's office and was motioned in by his exhausted boss who was looking sick and pale on his office couch. The bruises had darkened on his face and his hair was standing on end as if he'd run his hands through it multiple times without care. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his suit jacket and had been left with slacks and vest. His hand hovered over his ribs as if he were in constant pain with every breath and he glanced over to Jessica while speaking to Mike. "The Woods comfortable?"

"As much as they can be. I don't think you should go in there though."

"Why's that?"

"Dr. Woods doesn't seem to be your biggest fan."

"Oh, he hates me. You too, probably. He hates most lawyers."

"Why?"

"Malpractice suit years ago. No, it wasn't me."

"Did he…?"

"How the hell should I know? Or better yet, why do I care?" He stopped laying his head back and closing his eyes tightly. "When are the cops supposed to be here?"

"Ten minutes," Jessica promised.

"Mike, put that file into something they can use," Harvey mumbled, waving his hand in his associate's general direction. He paused, watching Mike move to do what he was told to as quickly as he could. "Hey, kid? Good job. It'll help us find her."

"You think so?"

"It has to. It's all we have."

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews are the authors food. Please feed the author.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I apologize for the delay on this one, but it's been a hellish, hellish week. Really the last couple have been bad, but this past one was just downright terrible. On top of that, I've had writer's block on how to get from point a to point b in this story. I hope that I've overcome in, but we'll see. It's shorter than the rest, but I thought better shorter than not at all.

**Five.**

Mike found himself out in the hallway when the police filed into Harvey's office. He couldn't hear everything from where he stood, but saw the elder lawyer speaking with fewer restraints on his emotions than he usually had, every sign of exhaustion evident in his movements and features. He pointed out pieces of the file that his associate had flung together in a last-minute attempt to have something worth wild and explained parts of it that Mike hadn't even understood.

From what he'd seen, Cameron Dennis had had quite a few unsavory connections over the years. One of those connections went by the name of Victor Carlyle and was well known in the gutters of New York City. Mike had heard of him only through various newspaper clippings over the years. One, specifically, being the trial that had found him with a severely reduced sentence when he went head-to-head with the DA at the time. Harvey's name had never made the story and it was possible that he hadn't even been involved, but Cameron had, and Mike had found that link that coincided with his release one week prior. Vanessa's photos hadn't hurt either. She always came through in the end.

The tapping of shoes against the floor caught the young lawyer's attention and he saw Jessica Pearson approaching. His first instinct was to duck away, but he knew that he needed to be insight if Harvey needed him for anything. Just because he'd been asked to leave the room by the head detective didn't mean that Harvey wouldn't need him.

"He's not in trouble or anything, is he? They've been in there longer than this should take."

Jessica frowned. "They weren't happy that he went off on his own. They just don't know to what extreme." She sighed, long fingers massaging the bridge of her nose. "Harvey's always been too damn loyal for his own good."

"You know, I never would have described him like that."

"And now?"

"Starting to see it."

This perked a smile. "He's good at hiding it, but he cares. Too much, most of the time."

Mike felt a wave of excitement and fear as Harvey motioned for him to enter the room. He was at the glass doors in a flash, the police turning to look warily at the excited puppy ready and willing to please his master.

"You said that was all," Harvey pointed out with a withering look towards the detective.

"It is, but I'm warning you, Mr. Specter, stay out of this. We know what we're doing and you belong in a hospital right now."

"After it's over," the lawyer agreed. He waited, his poker face firmly in place as they moved out of the room. "They're on their way to the docks. They've had a tail on Carlyle since he was released last week."

"You really think that Cameron would use something so obvious?"

"Remember what I said about all lawyers having an ego problem? Yes, he'd use something that obvious and never think it'd be caught." Harvey winced as he slowly stood from the chair, looking as if it took the entirety of his considerable will-power not to fall back down. He reached out and Mike handed him the original files. "Damn it."

"What?"

Harvey slammed the file down on the table, eyes alight with a new sort of fire. "I missed something." He paused, noting Mike's questioning look. "How big Cameron's ego really is when coupled with someone like Carlyle."

* * *

><p>Donna rubbed her wrist appreciatively as her captor tossed the cuffs to a nearby table. She wiped her eyes, sniffling, and making the most of what she had in the situation. As she stood – slowly, as not to spook her captor – and glanced around. She was in a small room that had to be part of an apartment or an old condo. The windows were all draped over with heavy curtains, but light peeked in from either side. The floors were wooden, old, and cracked, showing concrete underneath the splintered pieces. She could smell the water and hear rain hitting the windows.<p>

The redhead looked down at herself to see her dress – bought for this supposedly special occasion, not that she would ever tell Harvey – bloodied and torn. She wasn't entirely sure how much of it was her blood and that was the part that made her feel sick as her fingers traced across it. "What happened to the others?" she asked, not really able to stop herself.

Her burley captor opened his mouth to answer her, but shut it again as the sound of a door slamming closed rattled the whole room. He glanced anxiously back and a lithe man appeared, graying features not daunting the calculating look in his eyes. Those same eyes darted between Donna and his lackey before he snorted. "What did I tell you? No talking and no listening. Those are not hard demands."

"But she said-"

"That would be where the listening part comes in." He paused, shifting so that he was looking at the defiant redhead that had since stood, anger alight in her eyes. "Miss Woods, I do apologize, but I have a few questions before you can be on your way. Have a seat."

"Where are Harvey and Ray?"

"Your lawyer friend and the driver?" He smiled, his lips crooked and the expression unwelcoming. "Dead, far as we're concerned here. Have a seat."

Donna sank back into the chair, eyes wide and expression blank. "Dead? No."

"Don't worry, he suffered," Victor Carlyle responded cruelly, enjoying the look of horror that crossed Donna's features. "You don't have to meet their fate, of course. I just have a few, simple questions."

Donna let out a low snort that might have been related to a chuckle. "That's all," she murmured, looking up at him with determined eyes. Real tears stood in them, but didn't quite fall. "Even if I didn't know you were a scumbag I'd know you're a liar."

"Why's that, doll?"

"Because you told me that Harvey was dead."

* * *

><p>"My car?" Jessica echoed, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms.<p>

"I don't need your driver," Harvey assured her.

"Do I need to remind you what happened to Ray's car, or has the concussion you suffered done your memory in?"

"It won't have a scratch on it, Jessica, I swear."

"The police told you to stay out of this."

Harvey shot a look back at his associate. "You gotten that detective on the phone yet?" he called, noting that the younger man was pacing and dialing again and again. The blond shook his head and Harvey turned back to his boss, cocking his head to the side as if that answered everything.

Jessica just gave a small snort and rolled her eyes. "I'm not visiting you in the hospital."

"Never said you should."

"Get out of here, and remember what I said about telling her."

Mike looked back and forth for a moment before realizing that Harvey had taken off again. He jogged to catch up, confusion written over his face. "Tell her what?"

"Nothing. You need to get that ass hole on the phone and tell him that they'll be in Cameron's old apartment that he owns."

"How are you so sure?"

Harvey didn't stop as he blew through the doors that led to the hallway. Though he walked with a slight limp, he seemed to be running on more adrenaline than before. "Because I know Cameron. I know what will push is ego where and I know that he's feeling the clock ticking. He wanted this done quick, so he got sloppy." He paused long enough to slam his hand against the down button on the elevator. "Now get back in there and tell detective what's-his-name that so that I won't be walking in there alone."

"I can call from the car. You think I'm going to let you go alone?"

"I didn't realize I needed your permission for…well, anything."

Mike gave him a lopsided grin as the stood and waited for the elevator to reach their floor. After a moment the door slid open and Harvey moved to enter, ignoring the younger man, who simply followed. The express elevator gave its usual small jolt that caused little to no effect on any number of personnel that rode it day in and day out, and Harvey staggered slightly.

"I'm driving," Mike said confidently as the door slid open and his boss gave him a withering look.

"You're driving," he answered, as if it had been his idea all along.

The Lincoln Town Car that Jessica rode in was really no different than the one that Ray drove for Harvey. They were company issued and company insured. Harvey had been the only junior partner with a regular driver, but he had made sure that Ray was compensated for his loyalty, not that anyone ever knew that.

Rain had begun to fall some hours before and Mike glanced over to his boss as the car jumped to life, the two of them still dripping from the short run to where it had been parked. The sky was dark and the winds had begun to howl through the tall buildings as the rain hit everything in range with large, soppy drops.

Harvey gave a shudder as the air conditioner kicked on and he quickly reached forward to close the vents. "You know that strip of old shops that have been closed down for years that have rooms over them?" He waited for Mike to give a curt nod. "That's where we're going."

"Okay, but why would Cameron own something like that?"

"They shut those things down years ago, but he made sure to buy the one he grew up in."

"Wrong side of the tracks kind of childhood?"

"You'd know something about that," Harvey pointed out.

"Well, I'm not kidnapping women for information and ransacking law offices."

Harvey gave a grunt of acknowledgement and leaned forward, fingers working numbly to open the glove compartment. It popped open suddenly, revealing a small gun hidden away after some digging.

"What the hell is that doing in here?"

Dark eyes flickered towards the current driver before Harvey took hold of the weapon. "A couple years back Stephen – Jessica's driver – was held up at gunpoint with Jessica in the car. The guy just slipped in the passenger's seat just after Jessica had gotten in. He's carried this ever since."

"That's why you wanted her car."

"That's why I wanted her car." Harvey's eyes turned towards the road and the nearing buildings. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would find Carlyle and Donna in Cameron's old apartment. It was highly possible that the former DA himself would be there as well, but that he wasn't 100% on just yet. Mike had never gotten a hold of the detective, but had left countless voicemails and, at this point, all they could do was hope that he picked one of them up in time.

Mike pulled the black car up to the alleyway that Harvey directed him to and shut the engine down.

"Stay here."

The young associate looked insulted. "You think I'm-"

"I don't give a damn what you want to do, Mike. I'm telling you to sit still. Someone's got to be ready if we need to make a run for it."

"Someone's got to be with you to make sure you don't pass out walking up the stairs!"

"Just do what I say. For once."

Mike wanted to snark back, but didn't have a chance as Harvey slammed the door shut, the gun held tightly in his hand. It hit him that he had had no idea what lengths the elder man would go to for his red-headed secretary, or even why the man that claimed to care for no one but himself would put so much on the line. He really knew nothing of Harvey's past or what had led Cameron to showing him this place many years before. As he sat there, his mind played out a scenario in which Harvey's background wasn't too different than what Cameron's appeared to be: growing up on the tougher side of town, fighting tooth and nail for everything that he had achieved. It would explain so much and yet Mike knew that he might never know for sure.

Harvey was out of sight now, and as his phone rang in his hands, the detective's number flashing across the screen, Mike could only hope that he'd have the chance to ask him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**.

Harvey cringed as he pushed the door open, half expecting it to creek a loud warning to those inside. Water from the torrential downpour that had begun outside dripped from his clothing, and his hair hung limp and wet and all out of place. He ran a shaking hand through it, pushing it back out of his face as he squinted against dim lighting.

The whole building had the appearance of something long-abandoned, but Harvey knew better. Cameron had bought the whole place and was making use of it now. He'd played with fire for years, but now he'd lit a flame, and hell hath no fury like Harvey Specter when crossed.

Voices could be heard down the hall and the lawyer could see shadows against light peeking out from under a door. He eased past it, trying to tread lightly as to keep the boards from under his feet from squeaking. Suddenly his phone began to buzz loudly in his pocket and he reached quickly in to quiet it. Everything went deathly silent for several long, aching moments until the voices began again, questioning what they heard and Harvey sank back into a dark corner.

The door swung open and a burley man waved a gun around at nothing in hopes of scaring whatever it had been out of hiding. Harvey held his breath, feeling his entire body shake under the stress. He could see Donna just past the door, glaring defiantly at someone beyond his view. She was there and she was alive. He could feel the relief as if it were tangible.

The man finally lowered his gun, ready to turn around as the sound returned. The buzz lit through and echoed off of the old walls, signaling Harvey's whereabouts. He didn't have time to react as one large, hair covered hand reached into his supposedly safe shadows and hauled him forward. The lawyer was pulled forward and he tried to level his gun, but when had his fingers gone so numb? His dark eyes widened as he was slammed back against the wall, the weapon falling from his hand and he felt his already aching head collide heavily with the immovable object. The gun went off as it hit the floor, causing the man to drop Harvey unceremoniously to the floor.

* * *

><p>Mike gave a nervous look at the police. They had surrounded Jessica's car that he had still been sitting in when the detective called. He'd told them exactly what Harvey had told him to: the truth. Yes, Harvey was in there. Why? Because they wouldn't pick up their damn phones. Really, what good were cell phones if no one ever answered them? Yes, he believed that Carlyle and possibly even Cameron were in there, and, hopefully, Donna. Even after he told them all that they wouldn't tell him a damn thing in return.<p>

"What's going on?" the young associate demanded as the police began to move around in a flurry of action.

"We've had a report of shots fired inside."

Mike felt everything crash around him, "Well?" he demanded.

"We don't know. Just stay put and let us do our job."

The young man felt himself sink down on the hood of the car, eyes wide and fear creeping in. Harvey had told him to sit still. The police had told him to stay put. Everyone seemed to think that he would do better out of the way and with his mouth shut. He'd never been very good at taking orders.

* * *

><p>Donna had imagined her escape since waking up tied to the chair. That image seemed to grow dimmer and dimmer with each passing happening. The sight of her boss had excited her beyond words at first, but then had frightened her. He looked exhausted, pale, and his features were twisted in pain. Her first captor was dragging him in by one arm, the tall lawyer appearing limp as the thicker man tossed him at Donna's feet. She began to jump up when she heard Carlyle clear his throat.<p>

"Don't move."

Against everything that screamed inside of her she sank back to the chair, eyes never leaving Harvey's still form. He stirred slightly, groaning, and looking perfectly miserable. She'd thought she'd seen him at his worse before that day, but now she knew that she had.

"What the hell is he doing here?" It was a new voice, but Donna knew it well. Cameron Dennis entered the room, pointed at Harvey with a deep frown played out across his features. "You were supposed to keep him away from here."

"And you told me he was smart."

"How else would did he put the pieces together?" Cameron demanded.

"If he were really smart, he would have stayed the hell away," Carlyle retorted. "But since he's here, we'll make use of him."

Donna gritted her teeth together, angry tears standing in her eyes as the tall man nudged her boss with his foot, causing the lawyer to groan and roll over. Dark stains had all ready begun to form against his wrinkled shirt and vest, signifying pulled stitches with the rough treatment. Harvey's dark eyes fluttered for a moment before finally blinking open and coming to focus on the gun pointed directly at him. If he were afraid he never showed it, but continued to meet the killer's eyes without wavering.

"You may not worry about it, but you're not the one with the information." He turned his steely eyes on Donna. "Now, Miss Woods, the information."

Harvey looked up at her, eyes stern and unyielding in his own resolve. If she were about to open her mouth to speak, she never was able to as shots rang out through the building.

* * *

><p>"I really don't see what all of Mike's fuss was about," Rachel murmured as she poured a glass of water for Mrs. Woods. She'd been speaking half-way to herself, but the fact that Jessica was standing a few feet away caused the managing partner to glance in her direction and for the young paralegal to turn her apparent attention back to the water.<p>

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

Jessica's lips twitched upwards in the shadow of a smile. "Dr. Woods scared him, didn't he?"

"I was avoiding that word."

"Don't. He scares Harvey too."

Her top boss' candid speech put Rachel more at ease and she leaned back against the wall, glass in hand and eyes fixated on the elder woman. "Harvey Specter's afraid of him? Why?"

"He has you fooled too, hmm?"

"Well, I don't-"

"It's okay. He fools most people. It's only because he's good at what he does. Yes, I think Harvey's afraid of him." She looked thoughtful for a moment, following Rachel's movements to pour herself a glass of water. "Harvey's afraid of him because he's the only man that could ever take Donna away from him."

Rachel stared at Jessica, noting the distant look and the softer appearance to the lawyer's features as if she were thinking fondly of her own son. Memories of her own conversation with Donna not long before danced through her mind and she wondered if either one of them would ever take that first step that they could never turn back from. Eventually one of them would have to or, if she had read Donna correctly and Jessica had read Harvey, it was going to destroy them both. From what had been explained about the night before and the current events that were unfolding, it might be doing that right now.

"The boy needs a good dose of fear in him," Dr. Woods said gruffly, announcing his own presence and extending his hand to collect the glass of water for his wife.

"Not in the form of a shotgun, Arnold," Jessica chided softly. "Your daughter is the best thing that ever happened to him, and getting threatened for acknowledging that-"

"I know what kind of man that little prick is," the physician growled. "He's no good for her."

"But she's made him better," Jessica insisted lowly, eyes unwavering and shoulders squared. She stood eye to eye with the tall man.

He snorted, the lines in his face deepening as he frowned. "It's only a matter of time before he goes down that path, Jessica. You and I both know-" He stopped, eyes watching the younger woman and she crossed her arms and transformed her entire stance into one that made it difficult for him to continue.

"What do we both know, Arnold? Go ahead."

The elder man cleared his throat, shooting a glance over to Rachel who looked surprised to be acknowledged. He handed the glass of water back to her. "Take this to Carol, won't you?" He waited until the paralegal was out of earshot before turning his attention back to Jessica. "Your father would have hated him."

"My father was dead before Harvey ever came to this firm."

"That wouldn't stop it."

Jessica cracked a smile at that, thinking somewhat fondly of her late father and his iron-clad will. "No, no it wouldn't." She closed her eyes, taking a deep and steadying breath. "He would respect him, though, for the way he always manages to toe that line but never cross it."

"He'll cross it."

"You don't know him like I do. You don't even know him like Donna does. Harvey Specter fights tooth and nail for what he believes in, and right now, he believes in your little girl. You know what? I think that brand of loyalty deserves a little faith from all of us." With that she turned on her heel and walked away, her heels clacking loudly and she left the aging doctor to his own thoughts.


End file.
